Strife Journal special edition now released

Strife Journal has now launched its first Special edition based on presentations at the 2015 Strife-USFPRRG conference held in March 2015 at King’s College entitled: “A world in flux? Analysis and prospects for the U.S. in global security.” You can access the journal and individual articles here.

In this Special Issue of Strife Journal a group of young scholars from a number of prestigious research institutions offers fresh and inventive approaches and equally provocative insights into these topical questions.

This Special Issue covers a large and diverse number of topics. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the dynamics of US bilateral relations with new and traditional powers. This includes a study of US-China relations. In particular, a theoretical and practical study of the US ‘distrust’ of China’s military modernization. Another essay focuses on the ‘special relationship’ between the United States and Israel. This longstanding relationship is addressed through the distinct prism of Israel’s successive withdrawals from the Occupied Territories. A third essay analyzes the US security partnership with Turkey. The author provides a detailed picture of the ‘fruitful’ frictions that arose in the US military, defense, and intelligence relations with Turkey during the decade of the Erdogan cabinet.

Moreover, this Special Issue features analyses of adaptive tools in foreign policy. A first essay engages in a study of US military assistance as a time-honored component of US foreign policy toward Iraq. Special attention is paid to US military assistance since the Islamic State’s seizure of the Iraqi town of Mosul in 2014. A second essay addresses Professional Military Education as a soft power asset in US foreign policy. It considers international training and education programs as important tools used by the United States to create an intricate web of influence on international, regional, and local levels across a range of key organizations and individual actors. Finally, this Special Issue covers specific policies within the broader remit of US foreign policy. These include a study of the US policy of “pivoting” to Asia. Here, the author uses Marxist theories of imperialism and systemic rivalries between capitalist states to explain the US response to China’s rise as a regional competitor.

Given the impressive breadth and diversity of coverage, there is little doubt that this collection of essays will be of real interest to a wide range of readers inside and outside of academia.